Pig-face Butterflyfish
Chaetodon oxycephalus
- Usual depth10–21 m
- Water temperature25–30 °C
- Best monthsMarch, July, and October
- How commonRare
Photo credit: (c) BernardP, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist
About this species
The spot-nape butterflyfish, also known as the pig-face butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish in the butterflyfish family Chaetodontidae.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Spot-nape butterflyfish”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 21 records
- February: 15 records
- March: 26 records
- April: 20 records
- May: 23 records
- June: 15 records
- July: 26 records
- August: 17 records
- September: 23 records
- October: 33 records
- November: 17 records
- December: 25 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 10–21 m · Deepest record: 21 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 25–30 °C
Photos
(c) Micha Baum, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist 
(c) Piotr Lukasik, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Darren Obbard, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Georgina Jones, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist 
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist 
(c) Ben Costamagna, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) desertnaturalist, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Pig-face Butterflyfish, Spot-nape Butterflyfish, Spotnape Butterflyfish, Spot-naped Butterflyfish
Names in 4 more languages
- German
- Falscher Riesenfalterfisch
- Spanish
- Pez Mariposa Oxidada
- French
- Poisson-papillon trompeur
- Japanese
- Himefuraichochouo, ヒメフウライチョウチョウウオ
Similar species
Threadfin butterflyfishChaetodon auriga
Citron ButterflyChaetodon citrinellus
Blackblotch ButterflyfishChaetodon ephippium
Sunburst butterflyfishChaetodon kleinii
Raccoon butterflyfishChaetodon lunula
Oval ButterflyfishChaetodon lunulatus
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 98 open-data records from 1956 to 2021.
- Species data updated October 26, 2026.
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